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Charles Leclerc revealed that one of the biggest issues, according to him, in the 2022 F1 season was Ferrari's inability to make the most of the upgrades the team brought over the season.
The Ferrari driver specifically pointed out the upgrade brought by the team in Barcelona, which had helped put Charles Leclerc in a winning position in Barcelona and Monaco. However, neither of those could be converted into wins for Ferrari.
In Barcelona, Charles Leclerc suffered from a power unit failure, while in Monaco Ferrari suffered strategically. In a recent interview with Auto, Motor und Sport, Leclerc picked out these specific moments that cost him the most in the title battle.
In the interview, Leclerc talked about how the sequence of misfortunes started from the DNF in Barcelona and continued with bad strategy in Monaco, followed by another DNF in Baku and then a power unit penalty in Canada. These instances hindered him massively and he found that specific phase difficult to accept. He said:
"The frustrating part came when we got an upgrade and had the fastest car. The new parts in Barcelona really pushed us forward. We made too little out of it. The engine broke down in Barcelona, in Monaco we made a mistake in strategy, the next engine failure came in Baku, then the engine penalty in Canada. The pace was there to win races, but we didn't deliver. That was hard to accept."
Charles Leclerc details why the rivalry against Max Verstappen was amicable this season
The battle between Max Verstappen and Leclerc for the title this season was quite amicable and clean. It was especially interesting considering the cutthroat competition between Lewis Hamilton and Max last year.
Explaining why that was the case, Leclerc said:
"We know each other very well. But I don't think that was the reason why it was quieter between us. I think the difference with Max vs Lewis last year is that, we were at different points in the season. Our battles were at the beginning of the year. After that, either I had a big lead in the championship or Max was way ahead. You don't take as many risks."
Charles Leclerc had a bittersweet 2022 season. Although he did achieve his best drivers' championship finish in second place, the season will be tainted with the possibility of "what could have been".
